Look Back at 2019 Stories, Part 2

*NOTE: Indy Editor Sara Hall compiled this look back at what made headlines in the Newport Beach Independent during 2019. This week, July through December. Last week covered the top news stories of the first half of the year (click here to read).

Click on the text of each item to read the original story*

July

• As a tribute to the first and only Newport Beach lifeguard who died in the line of duty, City Council declared July 6 as Benjamin M. Carlson Day. Council approved a resolution officially named the day after the fallen lifeguard, in honor of his ultimate service to the city.

• Two local police officers were recuperating after a knife-wielding suspect threw ammonia at them when they responded to several calls about possible domestic violence at an Eastbluff apartment on July 7. Pedro Jesus Dominguez Mendez, 43, was arrested.

• A body was pulled from the ocean on July 9 and identified as Christopher Van Nguyen, 18, from the United Kingdom, the swimmer who went missing near the Newport Pier on July 1.

• Newport Beach officials announced on July 12 that Jeff Boyles was selected as the city’s next fire chief. Boyles took over for Chip Duncan, who retired after about two years in the position and more than three decades in fire service. Boyles was hired by NBFD in February 2000.

  

• The Corona del Mar library and fire station, or “fibrary,” opened its doors to both book worms and firefighters during a “soft” grand opening on July 20. During the event, a fire truck took off for a call.

• A pedestrian died July 30 as the result of a traffic collision involving an on-duty Crystal Cove State Park officer at the E. Coast Highway and Reef Point Drive intersection in Newport Coast. The Crystal Cove SP employee was driving eastbound on PCH, but officials could not confirm if the pedestrian was in a crosswalk or alongside the road or highway.

• Former Mayor and Newport native, Nancy Gardner was named Citizen of the Year by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce during an announcement event July 26 at the NB Marriott Hotel & Spa.

• Authorities responded to a heavy rescue traffic collision that included a vehicle lodged in the center median at the intersection of E. Coast Highway and Narcissus Avenue at 8:22 a.m. on July 31. Video of the scene shows more than a dozen bystanders jumping in to help push the vehicle back on its wheels and prevent it from overturning completely. Firefighters stabilized the vehicle and the driver and passenger were extracted and transported to a nearby hospital.

August 

• The hunt for a fugitive and murder suspect from Newport Beach came to an end as the one of the most wanted suspects in the country, Peter Gregory Chadwick, was arrested on Aug. 4. During a press conference on Aug. 6, officials explained that he was caught at a residential duplex near Puebla, Mexico. Bail was denied during his arraignment.

• The controversy surrounding the lemon-scented gum eucalyptus trees lining Marine Avenue on Balboa Island came to a head on Aug. 13 at a City Council study session. More than 120 residents packed into Council chambers, many were waving signs, others cheering, and some were audibly frustrated. Staff presentation and discussion lasted about two hours.

  

• Rep. Harley Rouda, of Laguna Beach, chronicled his first six months serving in Congress, covered local issues, and spoke about senior citizen focused topics during a local town hall meeting at OASIS Senior Center in Corona del Mar on Aug. 30.

September

• A Los Angeles teenager was facing multiple charges after he stole a car from a local dealership and crashed it into the closed Pine Knot Motel in West Newport on Sept. 2. Police received a report from Sterling BMW’s alarm company at 12:20 a.m. of a burglary and theft of three vehicles at 3000 W. Coast Hwy. After locating one vehicle, the driver failed to yield and eventually crashed into the building.

• After about two hours of discussion about issues related to homelessness in Newport Beach during a special meeting on Sept. 3, City Council members directed staff to pursue and/or consider two locations for a temporary shelter: 4200 Campus Dr., owned by Avis Rent A Car Systems, LLC., and 592 Superior Ave., a municipal utility yard. Most public speakers supported the location on Campus Drive near John Wayne Airport as the best choice.

  

• The Balboa Island Ferry celebrated 100 years of nonstop service this month, making it “the oldest continuously operated business in Newport Beach,” owner/operator Seymour Beek explained. The centenarian ferry service has been family-owned since Joseph Allen Beek obtained rights from the city to provide ferry service across the harbor in 1919.

October 

• About 100 teachers, school nurses, school psychologists, and other certificated employees of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers protested on Oct. 7 to challenge the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s handling of their health insurance plan and senior staffers’ push for a collegiate academic calendar. The District’s attorneys disagree with the union on how to interpret the contract.

• Kevin Laurence Favreau, a 40-year-old homeless man with ties to Newport Beach and suspected of evading police officers after an attempted DUI traffic stop, was arrested Oct. 9 following a brief police search of a Corona del Mar neighborhood. The vehicle was found unoccupied in CdM and officers started searching a residential area. Officers searching the area on foot were shining flashlights in the front yards of residences in the neighborhood with weapons drawn. Police located Favreau who physically resisted while being taken into custody.

• Library Lecture Hall Design Committee unanimously agreed on Oct. 8 to recommend moving forward with Robert A. Coffee Architects + Associates. Coffee is a Balboa Island resident. The project is planned to be located by the bamboo courtyard by the Newport Beach Central Library. The committee reviewed several proposals, heard a few presentations and narrowed it down before their final decision.

  

• City Council unanimously agreed on Oct. 22 to pursue an exterior architectural style modeled after Lido House boutique hotel, dubbed “Newport nautical” by the hotel builder, for the Newport Beach Fire Department’s proposed Lido station on the Balboa Peninsula. Council approved the staff recommended conceptual site floor plan, the “Lido” exterior architectural style, and the project construction cost estimate. Overall, Council members expressed support and enthusiasm for the project.

November

• The city moved forward with some election reform measures on Nov. 5 as City Council unanimously approved modifying the regulations governing campaign contribution and expenditure limits, and imposing lobbyist registration, reporting and disclosure requirements.

• The Harbor Commission heard the latest efforts on the planned Lower Newport Harbor dredging project, which could possibly include a big “hole in the harbor,” during a meeting on Nov. 13. The proposed Confined Aquatic Disposal site includes a plan to dispose of some sediment within the harbor, essentially digging a big hole, filling it as the dredging process moves forward, using an interim cap and then a final cap can be placed once it is full.

  

• The Newport, Together General Plan update process kicked on Nov. 12 in district 2 with the very first “listen and learn” workshop. The interactive meeting series included discussions on community values, important factors of the General Plan, where to place housing, and more.

• Council unanimously agreed on Nov. 19 to move forward with the Lower Sunset View Park and Superior Avenue pedestrian/bicycle bridge project, minus the previously discussed proposed dog park. The project includes the proposed concrete bridge, parking lot and an option for passive recreation area (open space) adjacent to existing Sunset View Park. The project, located on northeast side of the W. Coast Highway and Superior Avenue intersection, has raised concern by nearby residents, primarily from the Villa Balboa complex.

December

• More than a million people watched beautifully decorated yachts, boats, kayaks and canoes sail around Newport Harbor Dec. 18–22 in the 111th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. The nationally-recognized annual event was once again hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Commodores Larry Smith of Surterre Properties and David Beek of Island Marine Fuel and the Balboa Island Ferry were co-chairs for the 2019 parade.

• Will O’Neill was selected as the new mayor for the upcoming year, with Brad Avery as mayor pro tem, during the City Council’s annual “changing of the guard” meeting on Dec. 10. O’Neill declared 2020 will be the “Year of the Volunteer.”

• The local Sea Kings are once again state champions after Corona del Mar High School varsity football team defeated Junipero Serra HS of San Mateo 35-27 at the 2019 CIF State Football Division 1-A Championship Bowl Game on Dec. 14 at Cerritos College.